Bhutan

It is a land of formidably tough terrain, full of narrow valleys separated by high, impassable mountain ranges. Its long history of deep and secret mystical traditions, both Buddhist and other, its mighty and yet gentle kings, the fact that it is located between two giants, India and China, have all been a deterrent to casual travellers. As Bhutan moves towards democracy and a vision of Gross National Happiness, as it opens its borders, as its popularity in the West increases, it is soon becoming the destination for the adventurous traveller. Only now, after many centuries of being shut from the curious eyes of others, is Bhutan revealing its treasures.

Join photographer and explorer Lekha Singh on a journey through this strange and beautiful land. Cliff-side monasteries soar above the Paro Valley. The street markets of Thimpu, the only capital city in the world with no traffi c lights, bustle with activity. Monks pray beside the Burning Lake, one of Buddhism’s most sacred sites. Dzongs, fortress-monasteries, perched high in the Himalayas seem to fl oat above the clouds. These photographs reveal an untouched land, unchanged for hundreds of years: its dances, art, architecture and customs as they have been for centuries. Lekha Singh’s photographs are at once deeply intimate and sweepingly majestic. With a foreword by Her Majesty Queen Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, this book captures, perhaps for the last time, u ythe untouched beauty of the people and landscape of this rare Himalayan land as it slowly embraces modernity.